SCOTTSBORO, Ala. – A grant from the State of Alabama will help bring a shopping center and local jobs to the City of Scottsboro.
Governor Kay Ivey’s office awarded a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant to The Shops of Scottsboro, under construction at the corner of US-72 and AL-35, across from Home Depot.
The grant will be used to install sewer lines and traffic lights for the development.
During a March ceremony unveiling designs for The Shops, Mayor Jim McCamy said the city was able to build the shopping center without raising taxes due to Amendment 772, passed by the Alabama Legislature.
Amendment 772 allows city or county governments to lend credit, public funds, or other aid to any individual, firm, corporation, or other private or public business, so long as it promotes the economic or industrial development of the city or county.
The state sets forth two requirements under Amendment 772:
- Any action proposed to be taken must be approved at a public meeting of either the city council or county commission; the governing body must pass a resolution saying it has determined any money spent will be for a valid and sufficient public purpose.
- At least seven days before the meeting, a notice must be published in the newspaper with the largest circulation in the city or county, detailing the proposed action, a description of the public benefits sought, and identifying each individual, firm, corporation, or other business the city/county intends to lend credit, public funds, or other to.
City officials said Scottsboro has budgeted a $100,000 match for the state’s $500,000 grant.
The Shops will be anchored by a 40,000-square-foot Publix, and developer Jim White estimated 200 jobs will be created in the City of Scottsboro
